For the third time in five years, the Winthrop Eagles captured the Big South regular season championship. The Eagles dominated conference opponents all season, finishing with a conference record of 11-3. Guard Pierre Wooten and forward Tyrone Walker formed a lethal combination, which opponents rarely overcame. Winthrop played strong from beginning to end, winning eight of its final ten games.

The rest of the conference remained tight throughout the season. Liberty, Charleston Southern and Elon each finished at 8-6 in conference play and only three games separated second place from seventh. Each team flirted with Winthrop for the division lead, but they dropped every game they played against Winthrop.

Birmingham Southern will join the Big South conference next season and tested the waters this past season. The Panthers finished 19-9 and would have finished second if their conference games counted.

Big South Conference Tournament:

The Big South conference tournament offered a lesson in why March Madness is such an appropriate term. Winthrop had earned the automatic bid for four consecutive years. It had the number one seed. The semifinals and finals were at Liberty University, the host of the tournament. One of those teams figured to be destined to reach the NCAA tournament.

But then Madness kicked in. Winthrop lost to UNC-Asheville in an overtime thriller and Radford upset Liberty on the Flames’ home floor. UNC-Asheville then defeated Radford 85-71 in the championship game to earn its first bid in team history to the NCAA Tournament.

Senior forward Torrey Butler provided the most significant contribution to his team by averaging 18.6 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game. Although other players like UNC-Asheville’s Andre Smith and Winthrop’s tandem of Pierre Wooten and Tyrone Walker all put up great numbers this season, Butler was most critical to his team’s success. Without Butler, the Chanticleers probably would have finished below High Point at the bottom of the division.

Big South Rookie of the Year:

Whit Holcomb-Faye, Radford

Guard Holcomb-Faye proved to be a team leader even as a freshman, averaging 14.3 points per game and leading the team in assists with 4.1 per game. He has a strong career ahead of him and may flirt with averaging 20 points a game by his senior year.

Big South Coach of the Year:

Gregg Marshall, Winthrop

Even though Winthrop faltered in the conference tournament, Marshall deserves his props for building a dynasty at Winthrop. The Eagles are the perennial favorite to win the Big South and should continue to maintain that spot in the next few years.

The Eagles stormed through conference play to win the division title but faltered in the championship of the Big South tournament for the first time in several years. Despite the upset, the Eagles figure to be back on top of the division with four of five starters returning next season.

The Buccaneers started conference play on fire, winning five of the first six conference games. They faltered down the stretch primarily because junior point guard Ed O’Neil went down for a few weeks with an injury. Charleston Southern lost five of its last seven games.

Liberty struggled to find its rhythm for most of the season, neither winning or losing more than three straight. The Flames heated up toward the end of the season by winning four straight games before losing a pivotal match-up against division-leading Winthrop. The Flames never recovered from that setback and lost five of their final six games.

The Phoenix fit the mold of a typical middle-of-the-road team this season. It beat most of the easier teams on the schedule and lost to most of the more challenging teams. Elon will hope that new coach Ernie Nestor can guide the Phoenix to greater success in the coming years.

The Bulldogs completed one of the miraculous runs of early March by winning the automatic bid in the conference tournament to appear in their first NCAA tournament. UNC-Asheville was primed for big games after playing the likes of Michigan State, Minnesota, Kansas, Oklahoma and Connecticut during the regular season. The Bulldogs were atrocious on the road, finishing 2-14, but pulled off a big win at Elon in the first round of the conference tournament. Despite mixed success during the season, all Bulldog fans will remember from this season is the March magic worked by a strong cast of hard-working seniors.

The Highlanders have a bright future after struggling for most of this season. Radford started the season 3-11 but came fourteen points away from beating UNC-Asheville in the conference championship game. Freshman sensation Whit Holcomb-Faye led Radford in his first year and will continue to do so for the next few years. The Highlanders return a strong lineup next season that should place Radford near the top of the division.

The highlight of Coastal Carolina’s season was a sweep of division-winner Winthrop, the only team to accomplish that feat. The rest of the season ended with mixed results as the Chanticleers often lost close games. Senior forward Torrey Butler was another bright spot for Coastal Carolina as he led the team with 18.6 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game.

The Panthers struggled all season despite having two of the conference’s most potent scorers – sophomore forward Danny Gathings and sophomore guard Joey Knight. New coach Bart Lundy will get the opportunity to coach these prolific scorers in an attempt to bring High Point out of the cellar.

Birmingham Southern completed its dry run this past season, and it probably wishes that the conference had been keeping track of the Panthers’ success. Birmingham Southern lost only five games to conference opponents and would have finished in second, but the games did not count because the Panthers will not officially become part of the conference until next season. The Panthers lose most of their firepower but do return a solid guard in Derrick Williams to lead the way.

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College Basketball Tonight

We hope you enjoyed COLLEGE BASKETBALL TONIGHT during the 2016 NCAA Tournament. COLLEGE BASKETBALL TONIGHT is a comprehensive look at the NCAA Tournament hosted by veteran college basketball broadcaster Ted Sarandis, along with co-hosts Mike Jarvis and Terry O'Connor, both former Division I coaches. It also included many great guests, including Hoopville's own Phil Kasiecki.

The show aired on AM 710 WOR in New York City on Sunday evenings starting with Selection Sunday and running through the NCAA Tournament.

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